A Brief History of Flat Top Beer Cans

And all that came after.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Don't take the beer can for granted—we didn't always have the luxury. And what we had to endure before we got to today's easily carried aluminum number? Just know that plenty have suffered. 

Take a look at the evolution of beer storage, starting with the earliest can: the flat top. But before we can tackle that, a word on bottles...

The Bottle Cap

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Flat Top Beer Cans

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First Pull Tab

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Problems with the Pull Tab

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Evolution of the Pull Tab

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Press Button Can

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The Aluminum Bottle

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Swing-Top Caps

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Churchkey Can Co.

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